Process of recovering fiber from waste paper



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF RECOVERING FIBER FROM WASTE PAPER Francis H. Snyder, New York, N. Y., or to Snyder Maclaren. Processes, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application October 31, 1933, Serial No. 696,114

16 Claims. (Cl. 92-9).

This invention relates 'to a process of recovertice of nrv process, nor are the polyhydric alcoing fiber from waste paper, and more particuhols, such as glycerine.

lerly to a process of deinking waste paper such In place of the. fatty alcohols themselves, I as newsprint, bookprint, old magazine stock and may advantageously employ in the practice of the like. the present invention half-esters of fatty alco- 5 The principal object of this invention is to hols having more than 8 carbon atoms, or alkaliprovide a simple, economical, and commercially metal salts thereof. For example I may use practicable process of converting waste paper half-esters having the type formula RHX, of the above referred to character into a high wherein R represents a hydrocarbon-group, such l0 grade of pulp. as an alkyl group, H represents hydrogen, and 10 An important object of the invention is to X represents an acid radical, such as a sulfate, provide a process of deinking waste paper oxalate, phosphate,. or tartrate radical or the wherein relatively hard water may be satisfaclike, but preferably a mineral acid radical. A torily used as a medium for providing a susspecific example of this type of reagent'which pension of the waste paper during the deinking I may satisfactorily use is lauryl acid sulfate 15 operation. ester, or an alkali-metal salt thereof such as its Another object of the invention is to provide sodium salt. I g a process of de, waste paper which is simple in operation and requires a relatively short Other derivatives of fatty alcohols having 2@ period for efiective deinking. more than 8 carbon atoms which I may use in Other objects and advantages of. the inventhe practice of the pres'ent.'prooess are the retion will become apparent during the course of action products of the fatty alcohols with soluthe follow description. ble salts of amphoteric metal acids, such as I have discovered that printed waste paper, soluble silicates, phosphates, borates and the like.

35 suchasold newsprint, bookprint, magazine stock These derivatives, which are solid detergents, and the like, can be rapidly and eflectively demay be readily obtained by mixing a fatty. alcoinked and a superior quality of white pulp obhol having more than 8 carbon atoms with an tallied therefrom by subjecting such waste paper approximately molecular proportion of a soluble in wet pulp form to the action of a fatty alcohol salt of an amphoteric metal acid. For example,

i? having more 8= carbon atoms,- or certain the reaction product of lauryl alcohol with compounds or derivatives of such fatty alcosodium silicate has been found to be a very hols. In the practice of the process the waste suitable detergent for use in the present invenpa in dilute aqueous suspension is subjected tion. l to a me beating action in the presence In employing detergents of the above referred as or a. we proportion of. the fatty alcohol or to character I have found it advantageous to compound or derivative thereof, the alcohol use t ith u lk ns, such as sodium preferably being in conjunction with a mild carbonate, soda ash, or even a dilute caustic a & fill-$311 and -9- afliel which soda solution. If desired, soap or-other contreament t fibers are separated from the ventiormi detergent may also be used with the 8 501M101? and thoroughly washedfatty alcohol detergent of the above referred 4-0 g? g ggfigfi3ifig figg z i ig to character, preferably in conjunction with a mild alkali.

ggfi fgg ggl gf gfg g fig z ggg fi; In practicing the present process, the waste as alcohol contains more than 8 carbon atoms, it Paper to deinked is preiembly first Subdi' be turated, straight chain, or branch vlded into relatively small pieces, as by passing 1.. fatty alcohol. These alcohols are'insolu- 9 Waste paper through a conventional Shred m in but since they reduce the urf ding machine. The exact size of the pieces is tension water to a ery great extent they not material, it merely advisable to S0 go t permanent suspension even in sea water subdivide the waste paper as to avoid the presor the r: 1 est of natural waters, They are not ence in the mass of thick bulky masses which aflected stall by hardness and a heavy lather mightdamage 'the beater in which the waste can be 012 .1; :1 with these fatty alcohols even P per i ub eq n ly treated. If the waste in lime water. alcohols which'are readily solup p r-cont in x ran ma r, as is geno5 ble inwater are not suitable for use in the pracerally the case, it is also advisable to subject uniformly throughout the mass.

the waste paper to a mechanical cleaning action, as in a conventional duster.

After the paper has been shredded and initially cleaned, if these have been found to be desirable steps, it is introduced into an aqueous medium in an operating beater engine in such an amount as to provide a dilute liquid suspension, say a suspension of. approximately from 3 to 4 per cent. solid content. Before the waste paper is introduced into the water or other aqueous medium, it is preferable to dissolve a suitable alkali therein to provide a mildly alkaline solution. Also, if soap is to be employed, which in some instances is desirable but not necessary, this may also be initially added and thoroughly mixed in the aqueous medium.

After the waste paper has been added to the aqueous medium in the beater, it is preferable to operate the beater for a short period in order to distribute the fibrous material more-or-less Thereupon, a small amount of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon. atoms or one or more of the derivatives referred to above vis then added to the beater and the mass is beaten for several hours, after which the treating solution is drained ofi the fibrous material, and the resulting fibers are washed. The amount of fatty alcohol or derivatives to be employed is quite small and will vary somewhat according to the particular compound used, the hardness of the water, the other reagents present, etc. However, a simple test of whether sufficient detergent has been added is to note whether a stable froth has been formed on the surface of the mass in the beater. The addition of a sufiicient amount of detergent will cause the'production.

ofv a very stable froth.

The following typical example will be found. to be illustrative of the present invention:

One ton of waste paper is shredded and dusted. Thereafter, the shredded paper is introduced into a beater containing from 25 to 30 tons of water in which has been dissolved approximately 200 pounds of sodium bicarbonate. After running the beater to thoroughly mix the pulp in the alkaline solution, from 2 to 10 pounds of lauryl alcohol are then added. The mass is then either beaten for two or three hours in the heater or, as is preferable, is beaten in the beater for about one hour and thenpassed through an attrition machine such as a Weiner refiner, rod mill or the like. Thereafter, the fibrous material is separatedfrom the liquid present and the resulting fibers are washed. The separation and washing of the fibrous material can be advantageously accomplished by passing the massfrom the heater to a conventional decker .washer and treating the fiber with a considerable excess of water,.in the conventional manner. The washed fibers may then be delivered directly to the beater of a paper machine or maybe formed into pulp laps for shipment as desired.

While I have described in detail the preferred embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that they details of procedure may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subdeinking composition comprising a reagent se- 3. In a process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper the step which comprises subjecting the paper in wet pulp form to the action of lauryl alcohol.

4. In a process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper the step which comprises subjecting the waste paper in wet pulp form to the action of a deinking composition comprising a half-ester of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon atoms. 1 v

5. In a process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper the step which comprises subjecting thewaste paper in wet pulp form to the action of a deinking reagent comprising a half-ester of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon atoms and having the general formula RHX,

-wherein R is'a hydrocarbon group, H is hydrogen, and X is a mineral acid radical.

6. In a process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper the step which comprises subjecting the waste paper in wet pulp form to the action of a deinking reagent comprising the reaction product of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 car bon atoms with an alkali-metal salt of anamphoteric metal acid.

7. The process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in dilute aqueous suspension to a mechanical beating action in the presence of an alkaline agent and a reagent selected from the group consisting of fatty alcohols having more than 8' carbon atoms, half-esters of such fatty alcohols, alkali-metal salts of such half-esters, and reaction products of such fatty alcohols with alkali= metal salts of amphoteric metal acids, and recovering and washing the thus treated fibrous material.

8. The process of reclaiming fiber from wastepaper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in dilute aqueous suspension to a mechaLni cal beating action in the presence of an alkaline agent and a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon atoms, and recovering and washing the thus treated fibrous material. I

. 9. The process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in dilute aqueous suspension to a mechanical beating action in the presence of an alkaline agent and lauryl alcohol. and recovering and washing the thus treated fibrous material.

10. The process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in dilute aqueous suspension to a mechanical beating action in the presence of an alkaline agent and a half-ester of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon atoms. and recovering and washing the thus treated fibrous material.

11. The process of reclaiming. fiber from waste 5 paper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in dilute aqueous suspension to a mechanicalbeating action in the presence of an alkaline agent and a reagent comprising a half-ester of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon atoms 1,oss,ses 3 and having the general formula of RHX, wherein R is a hydrocarbon group, H is a hydrogen, and X is a mineral acid radical, and recovering and washing the thus'treated fibrous material.

12. The process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in dilute aqueous suspension to a mechanical beating action in the presence of an alkaline agent and the reaction product of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon atoms with an alkali-metal salt of an amphoteric metal acid, and recovering and washing the thus treated fibrous material.

13. The process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in dilute aqueous suspension to a mechanical beating action in the presence of an alkaline agent and the reaction product of a fatty alcohol having more than 8 carbon atoms with sodium silicate, and recovering and washing the thus treated fibrous material.

14. The process of reclaiming fiber from waste 7 sodium silicate, and recovering and washing the thus treated fibrous material.

15. The process of reclaiming fibrous material from waste paper which comprises subjecting the waste paper in diluteaqueous suspension fibrous material.

16. The process of reclaiming fiber from waste paper which comprises subdividing the waste paper, mechanically beating the waste paper in suspension in a weak alkaline solution in the presence of a reagent selected from the group consisting of fatty alcohols having more than 8 carbon atoms, mineral acid half-esters of such fatty alcohols, sodium salts of such half-esters, and derivatives comprising the reaction products of such alcohols with alkali-metal salts of am- 25 

